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Is Your Home Theater's AC Power Protected?
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2012
In this week's episode of the Home Theater Geeks podcast, SurgeX engineer Martin Dornfeld talks about AC power protection in home theaters, thankfully without the voodoo and hype I've heard from others in that field. Our conversation lead me to wonder how many of our readers have taken steps beyond cheap surge-suppressor power strips to protect their precious home-theater gear from power spikes, lightning strikes, voltage sags, and power failures.

How about you? Have you installed a voltage regulator, surge suppressor (other than a cheap power strip), lightning rod, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), or other power protection? What have you done in this regard and why—or why not?

Note: This poll question is not about power optimization—I'll ask about that next week.

Vote to see the results and leave a comment about your choice.

Is Your Home Theater's AC Power Protected?
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Ask S&V
Sony HX929 or Panasonic VT30
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 27, 2012
I have an old Samsung LED-illuminated RPTV and I want to upgrade. I am stuck between the Panasonic TC-P65VT30 plasma TV and the Sony XBR-65HX929 LED-LCD TV. I move a lot, so the room it is in will vary at least once in the next two years. I watch tons of sports and lots of moves, and I also do some gaming. I have no interest in 3D, just picture quality. I'm torn between the two after playing with them both at Best Buy, and I hope you have something encouraging to say that may steer me to one or the other.

Bear Brown

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Out Of The Blu
Boss Season One, Hatfields & McCoys, Star Trek: The Next Generation Season One
Chris Chiarella  |  Jul 27, 2012
Three very different TV series arrive on Blu-ray, assuring ample worthwhile programming during the summer doldrums.
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Tech2
On Hating Spotify Less, Damnit!
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jul 27, 2012

I have been a vocal hater of the "free" music service Spotify. The infinitesimal amount they paid for each song, to me, was a slap in the face to musicians everywhere. You can read my original rant on why I think Spotify is unfair, and the follow up where I recant slightly and recognize Spotify has some redeeming qualities.

Not that I ever expected it to go away, but far too many people love the service, including musicians. So I give up.

Sort of.

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SmartStream
Streaming the 2012 Olympics Live
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 26, 2012
Watching the Olympics on TV was always a frustrating experience for me. Along with the frequent commercial interruptions, I had to sit through hours of weightlifting and shot-putting to see synchronized swimming. (I know, you were sitting through the synchronized swimming to see the shot-put.) But that problem has been solved for the 2012 London Olympics. NBC has created a website and an app for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices that will show live coverage of every sport and match from start to finish.
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Music Reviews
Jazz Classics get the High Resolution Treatment from Blue Note and HDtracks
Michael Berk  |  Jul 25, 2012

If you're a fan of Blue Note's classic releases of the '50s and '60s - and frankly, what jazz aficionado isn't? - and you're a discerning digitally inclined audiophile, you're in luck! Blue Note/EMI, through our friends at HDtracks, is releasing six classics of the period in glorious 96kHz/24bit and 192kHz/24bit remasters from the original analog masters. 

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Ask S&V
Best AVR for Klipsch Speakers
Scott Wilkinson  |  Jul 25, 2012
I'm getting an awesome deal on a 7.2 speaker setup from Klipsch and I need to find a receiver that can drive them properly.

Here are the speakers I'm getting:

  • 2 KF-28 floorstanding speakers
  • 1 KC-25 center-channel speaker
  • 2 KS-14 surround speakers
  • 2 KB-15 bookshelf speakers
  • 2 SW-450 subwoofers
I've spent some time trying to figure out exactly what I need in an AVR, but I'm not confident that I know what I'm doing. I've been thinking about the Yamaha RX-A2010, which allows for 9.2 channels, so I had planned to use the extra two channels to bi-amp the KF-28 speakers, as they are equipped with dual-binding posts. Is this receiver powerful enough to drive these speakers properly?

Kyle Sigo

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Signals
Old Boss, Meet the New Boss
Ken C. Pohlmann  |  Jul 25, 2012

I get press releases. Oh boy, do I get press releases. My inbox runneth over. You think spam is bad? Multiply that by 100, and you’ll get an idea of my daily press-release pile. Everybody is flacking their newest and most innovative stuff. And occasionally they flack their oldest and least original.

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Track One
Aerosmith Redraw the Line
Mike Mettler  |  Jul 25, 2012

Those wondering whether Aerosmith could still kick ass and take names live saw any lingering doubts dissipate with the band’s vibrant 107-minute show at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 24.

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Tech2
Reconsidering Julian Hirsch
Brent Butterworth  |  Jul 25, 2012

They’re still at it. A recent issue of Stereophile featured a sidebar on “13 Products Julian Hirsch Got Right” — implying, of course, that Hirsch got most products wrong. Poke around audio websites and you’ll probably see his name mentioned, often with scorn. But the man retired as technical editor of Stereo Review (Sound+Vision’s forebear) way back in 1998, and passed away five years later. What did he say so long ago that continues to attract attacks?

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